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Evelyn Hsieh, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology)
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Additional Titles

Chief of Rheumatology, VA Connecticut Healthcare System

Associate Professor on Term, Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Network Lead, Yale Network for Global Non-Communicable Diseases (NGN)

Associate Program Director, Global Health Equity Scholars Program

Program Director, CMB Global Health Fellowship Programs

Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

About

Titles

Associate Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology)

Chief of Rheumatology, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Associate Professor on Term, Chronic Disease Epidemiology; Network Lead, Yale Network for Global Non-Communicable Diseases (NGN); Associate Program Director, Global Health Equity Scholars Program; Program Director, CMB Global Health Fellowship Programs; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

Biography

Dr. Hsieh is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Rheumatology) and Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) at Yale, and Chief of Rheumatology for the VA Connecticut HealthCare System. She enjoys caring for patients and teaching on the medical wards of the West Haven VA Medical Center.

Dr. Hsieh is dedicated to bridging the fields of global health and rheumatology, in particular through research training. Her research combines biomedical and behavioral sciences approaches, and has leveraged national cohorts and international registries to better understand drivers of risk for osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and fracture among patients with chronic infection or inflammatory disease. A major focus of her work is on prevention, epidemiology and health services research for these musculoskeletal outcomes among individuals aging with HIV in countries undergoing economic transition (e.g., China and Peru) where incidence of these conditions is increasing, however infrastructure and capacity to diagnose and manage these comorbidities remains fragmented. The tools and models developed through this work have also translated to other low-resource settings and models of secondary osteoporosis (e.g., breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis).

Dr. Hsieh also has a rich program of research at the VA, where she co-directs the Rheumatology, Endocrine and Geriatric Syndromes Core of the VA Family of EHR cohorts and is co-PI of an NIH-funded study to develop and validate a fracture risk prediction tool tailored for patients aging with HIV. This study leverages the outstanding infrastructure and team of the Veteran's Aging Cohort Study, the largest cohort of patients with HIV in the U.S., and partners with collaborators from Yale New Haven Healthcare System and BU/Boston Medical Center.

Finally, Dr. Hsieh is committed to mentoring research scholars through programs such as the Global Health Equity Scholars Program, the CMB Global Health Leadership Development Program, and the NIH T32 Training Program of the Yale Section of Rheumatology. Her research has been supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Fogarty International Center, NIAMS, NIAAA, NCI, NIA, NCATS), Rheumatology Research Foundation, China Medical Board, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. She is co-founder and lead of the Yale Network for Global Non-Communicable Diseases, and was a 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholar. She was a past member of the Board of Directors of the American College of Rheumatology and inaugural chair of the ACR Global Engagement Committee.

Appointments

Education & Training

PhD
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Investigative Medicine (Epidemiology & Global Health) (2014)
Clinical & Research Fellow
Yale School of Medicine (2014)
Resident
Yale-New Haven Hospital (2010)
Intern
Yale-New Haven Hospital (2008)
MPH
Harvard School of Public Health, Family and Community Health (2006)
MD
Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Medicine (2006)
AB
Princeton University, Molecular Biology (1999)

Research

Overview

Bridging biomedical and behavioral sciences methodologies to risk stratify and identify feasible prevention strategies for osteoporosis, fractures and sarcopenia among individuals with HIV in low-resource settings. Projects have explored mechanistic, epidemiologic, health services and behavioral aspects of this issue in China (collaborating institution: Peking Union Medical College Hospital) and Peru (collaborating institution: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia), two countries undergoing economic transition where incidence of these conditions is increasing, but infrastructure and capacity to diagnose and manage these comorbidities remains fragmented, particularly for vulnerable populations such as persons with HIV. Example projects:

  • Quarterly Vitamin D Supplementation for the Prevention of Osteoporosis and Fractures Among Individuals with HIV in China
  • Longitudinal Increase in Vitamin D Binding Protein Levels after Initiation of Tenofovir/Lamivudine/Efavirenz Therapy among HIV-Infected Individuals
  • Long-term Trabecular Bone Score and Bone Mineral Density Changes in Chinese Antiretroviral-Treated HIV-Infected Individuals
  • Expanding the toolbox for prevention of sarcopenia and osteoporosis among people aging with HIV in Peru: A validation study
  • Musculoskeletal and Broader NCD Care for Persons Living with HIV in Peru: A Mixed Methods Study of HIV Care Providers and Regional HIV Program Coordinators
  • Osteoporosis, Vertebral Fractures, Sarcopenia and Health-Related Quality of Life among Women Aging with HIV in Lima, Peru

Musculoskeletal and Rheumatic Disease Outcomes among U.S. Veterans Leveraging the VA Cohorts Family. As co-Director of the Rheumatology, Endocrine and Geriatrics Syndrome Core, I support and foster research to expand the scope of projects focused on rheumatologic and musculoskeletal conditions and outcomes within the VA Cohorts Family. Beyond work focused on fracture and falls outcomes, these have also examined sarcoidosis, rheumatoid arthritis and orthopaedic outcomes. Example projects:

  • Development and Validation of a Novel and HIV-Relevant Prediction Model for Fracture
  • Incidence and Presentation of Sarcoidosis with and without HIV Infection
  • Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: Epidemiology and Treatment
  • Development and Validation of Case-Finding Algorithms to Identify Prosthetic Joint Infections After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Veterans Health Administration Data

Secondary Osteoporosis and Fracture Risk. Secondary osteoporosis is often under-recognized. This is particularly the case for patients with underlying conditions leading to inflammation/immune activation or those requiring long-term therapies that impact bone metabolism. In addition to my work in HIV, these projects focus on understanding the biology, epidemiology and health services related gaps with regards to risk for osteoporosis and fractures among patients with chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, and chronic osteomyelitis. Most recently we have expanded this work to explore long-term musculoskeletal outcomes in older individuals hospitalized for COVID-19. Example projects:

  • Musculoskeletal outcomes among older patients after hospitalization for COVID-19: A pilot study
  • Bone mineral density and microarchitecture among Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study with HRpQCT
  • Soy Food Consumption, Exercise and Body Mass Index in Association with Osteoporotic Fracture among Breast Cancer Survivors: A report from Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study
  • Vertebral Fractures among Breast Cancer Survivors in China: A Cross-Sectional Study of Prevalence and Health Services Gaps
  • Increased Fragility Fracture Rates in Older Men with Osteomyelitis

Additional Recent Projects Related to Global Rheumatology and Global Non-Communicable Diseases.

  • A Pilot Educational Intervention to Improve Knowledge and Readiness for Self-Management among Patients with Rheumatic Diseases in Uganda
  • Improving Self-care Among People with Non-Communicable Diseases in a Rural District of Uganda
  • Research Capacity Building Programs for Noncommunicable Diseases in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Epidemiology; Global Health; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Osteoporosis; Rheumatology; Sarcopenia; Women's Health

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Evelyn Hsieh's published research.

Publications

Featured Publications

2024

2023

Clinical Trials

Current Trials

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • activity

    American College of Rheumatology

  • activity

    American College of Rheumatology

  • activity

    American College of Rheumatology

  • activity

    Improving self-care among people with chronic conditions in Uganda

  • honor

    U.S.-China Fulbright Scholar

Clinical Care

Overview

Clinical Specialties

Internal Medicine; Rheumatology

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